METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY SPECIFYING A PORTION OF TEXT FROM A BITMAP IMAGE OF THE TEXT

A document processing system (10) includes a user interface (22, 24, 25) and a memory (18) for storing bitmap data (18a) representing a document (14) that includes text. The user interface includes a display (22, 22a) for visualizing an image of the bitmap data and an input device, such as a mouse (25), for specifying locations within the displayed image corresponding to locations within the stored bitmap data. The document processing system further includes a bitmap data processor (20) that is responsive to a first specified location designating a start of an area of the image containing text to a second specified location designating a termination of the area of the image containing text, for processing bitmap data corresponding to the area. The bitmap processor operates to determine a lateral extent of lines of text within the area, to determine an amount of slope, if any, of the lines of text within the area, to determine a center-to-center spacing of the lines of text within the area, and to determine a location of a top line of the text. That is, the bitmap processor operates to refine the boundary of the area specified by the input device so as to provide a geometric specification of all text appearing within the bitmap data that corresponds to the originally specified area. The bitmap processor preferably operates to first laterally compress the bitmap data prior to operating on same.